RUSA and VOICE’s VIGIL for Zelim

On January 16th, the Head of the Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, in a meeting with law enforcement in Chechnya, hinted that Zelimkhan Bakaev, 25-year old singer, who has been missing since August 8, 2017, was likely murdered by his family in an honor killing. Kadyrov blamed Zelim’s relatives, saying Zelim’s family had internal conflict about his sexuality that led to his killing.

Zelim’s family denies they killed him, and Igor Kochetkov, a founder of the Russian LGBT Network, expressed that while he has no doubts Zelim is dead, he sees Kadyrov’s remarks as a confession. Kochetkov is intending to push the Russian Investigation Committee to open an investigation into Zelim’s murder.